HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN

In the beginning God created us in His image and likeness.

(Gen. 1:26)

What does it mean to be created in His image and likeness?

God created us in the likeness of his love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Adam and Eve had perfect fellowship with God. Man was able to talk to God without shame. God saw everything that it was very good

(Genesis 1:31)

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

(Genesis 2:15-17)

Man chose to disobey God.

Ø Fellowship with God has been broken. Adam and Eve hid among the trees because they were ashamed. A holy God can not have fellowship with sinful man.

Ø Man has invented ways to disobey God: cheating, lying, pre-marital sex, adultery, homosexuality, tong-its, lotto, drunkenness, pornographic movies, pornographic magazines, murder…

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

(Galatians 5:19-21)

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

(Ephesians 2:3)

You may say, I haven’t murdered anyone, I haven’t stolen, or committed adultery but God looks at a person’s heart (1 Sam 16:7). Whatever a person has thought to do, that for God is the beginning of committing sin.

A just God can not allow sin to go unpunished. Romans 6:23 says the “The wages of sin is death”. God is angry with disobedience. Though He does not delight in punishing the wicked, He will because of His righteousness:
He will punish sinners ultimately by throwing them in the lake of Fire:

“And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the

lake of Fire.”

(Rev. 20:15)

God does not want to punish us but for us to turn from our wicked ways – this is called repentance.

Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! (Ezekiel 33:11)

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
(2 Chronicles 7:14)

God loves us and provided the way by which He can forgive us, by His Son: Jesus Christ.
Jesus died because of our sins in order to save us because the wages of sins is death. That is why He is called the Lamb of God.

Why did He do that?

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

(2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved
(Ephesians 2:4-5)

For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16)

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
(Titus 3:4-5)

So what do you have to do?

Repent and believe in Jesus.

What does it mean to repent?

Ø To repent means to turn back from sin and choose to love God for what He has done for you.

Ø To believe in Him means to acknowledge Jesus to be Lord and Savior. To acknowledge Him as Lord means that you are now going to submit your life to His lordship. To acknowledge Him as Savior means you are now believing in Him to save you from your sins.

Are you willing to turn from your sins and believe in Jesus? If so, pray this simple prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I confess that I have sinned against God. I would like to ask for forgiveness for my sins through your blood shed on the cross. I want you to be the Lord of my life. I want you to be my Savior. Change me Lord and make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Let Jesus be your love.

Nobody loves you as Jesus did, as Jesus does and as Jesus will.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
(John 15:13-14)

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.
(John 15:14)

Will you love Him? Will you make Jesus no. 1 in your life?
Would you like your life to have meaning?

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
(Colossians 1:16)

We were made by Jesus for Jesus, the reason why people can not find meaning in life is that they are living for the wrong reasons. Some live for achievement, some live for an ambition, some live for career, some live for money, some live for glory and the praise of men, some live for pleasure, some live for an ideology, some live for another person, many live for themselves.

What could you be living for?

Jesus promised us that we will be with Him when we have put our trust in Him:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
(John 14:1-3 )